Response to supplemental budget largely positive

The Associated Press •January 13, 2011 3:12 pm

AUGUSTA, Maine — Legislative leaders are generally positive about the budget revision that has been unveiled by Gov. Paul LePage. Hearings are expected to get under way in the next few weeks.
LePage’s proposal seeks to add $151 million to the current $5.5 billion two-year budget. Money to pay for the changes comes from improving tax revenues, savings initiatives and spending curtailments.
Majority Republican House and Senate leaders say the budget is fiscally responsible and takes maximum advantage of federal matching funds.
Democratic support will be important because the budget will need to be approved by a two-thirds majority.
House Democratic Leader Emily Cain of Orono calls it “a typical supplemental budget” that addresses technical matters and has no big policy changes.